As April 5 approaches, Afghans prepare for the third presidential election in the nation since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 as Hamid Karzai, who has been president since 2004, steps down. Of some 31 million people living in Afghanistan, only 12 million are eligible voters, according to the AP, as about 42% of the country's population falls below the legal voting age of 18.
Among the 11 candidates running for president, three are considered favorites: the frontrunner, Abdullah Abdullah, who lost to Karzai in 2009, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, a former World Bank official who also lost to Karzai in 2009, and Zalmai Rassoul, who reportedly has strong ties with Karzai and is the only candidate with a female running mate.
The run-up to the historic election has been marred by violence and kidnappings. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber dressed in the uniform of the Afghan security forces detonated himself outside the Interior Ministry in Kabul, killing at least six police officers. According to Al Jazeera, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing three days before the election, which the group has vowed to disrupt.
But in the face of the attacks, Afghan voters appear determined to cast their votes. According to the Independent Electronic Commission -- itself the target of Taliban attacks -- nearly 3.7 million new voters have registered for the presidential and council elections on April 5.
"I know my vote counts, and this time even if I get killed I will go and vote, I'm not scared of Taliban threats," Rassoul Khurami, a 60-year-old shopkeeper told Al Jazeera.
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